Monday 2 February 2009

Haiku


I do love Haiku. Here's an enlightening article on all things Haiku in the Guardian by Billy Mills.

It's more than the 17 syllables. I am of the school of thought that it has to be 17 syllables. Are you? I don't hold with those short thoughtful three line poems that think they're Haiku. I know Japanese have more syllables to do the same thing but it strikes me as cheating.

I like using a season word (kigo) but I'm not joined at the hip.

Here are no seasons –
we wear the same clothes year round,
watch weather through glass

Apparently a haiku without a season word is a senryu. I like using the dash too.

Picnic on the grass
carefree ducks on man made lake -
water is water

If you're into Haiku, there's a deadline coming up in Scotland

Deadline: February 14
Haiku Scotland will take haiku, senryu, tanka and any short poetry form.
Submissions should be no more than 8 poems and can be sent by email (no attachments) to haiku.scotland@btinternet.com or by snailmail to
Haiku Scotland, 2 Elizabeth Gardens, Stoneyburn, EH47 8BP, Scotland.
Other closing dates: 14 May, 14 August and 14 November.

2 comments:

Colm Keegan said...

I've been dissing the haiku quite a bit of late. The ones that really annoy me are those that don't have a sorta surprise in them. But maybe that's not the only reason. Maybe this is why.

Surfing the web
He breaks haiku that he can't make -
He is crap at them

:)

Emerging Writer said...

half an inch of snow
patchworked white and muddy grass
the province shudders